…suggests PNCR presidential candidate review his position
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), the major grouping of Guyana’s Trade Unions, has noted with deep concern the just-delivered remarks on sugar, Guyoil and the state media by retired Army Officer, Brigadier David Granger. Presidential candidate of the People’s National Congress
Reform–1G declared his intention to “get out of State-owned sugar…” stating further that “I don’t think this is the concern of the State… I don’t think there is any place for State ownership of those things anymore, certainly not under David Granger”.

As a responsible trade union grouping and a national institution of working-class orientation, FITUG respects the views of all candidates who are aspiring to become president, whilst defending its right to disagree, strongly sometimes, with those views.

Mr Granger’s declared intention and policy of economic reform seems to be synonymous with the Washington Consensus which is so much discredited today and is wreaking havoc especially to the millions of ordinary people throughout the world. He is clear that he will divest the ownership and management of sugar from any State-associated entity. Under Granger, GuySuCo, as currently constituted, will go.

FITUG, a highly concerned stakeholder, feels constrained to react to Granger’s declaration. We first wonder whether this is the position of the Party – the PNCR – or it is the preserve of the Brigadier candidate.

Does it recall the PNC’s post-Burnham/Desmond Hoyte policy of privatization of sugar in the late eighties? Or is this a plank of Granger’s proposed economic reforms only?

Just this past May Day, sugar workers attached to our major affiliate, GAWU, marched with placards proclaiming “NO TO PRIVATISATION OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY”. This typifies the feelings of the industry’s workers. At least at this stage, FITUG and those workers realize that it was their toil and sweat which kept the sugar industry alive enough to be the lynchpin of the national economy for decades. Sugar is the foreign exchange earner of consistent significance and the major contributor to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Those sugar workers also experienced the failure, near catastrophic, of the foreign Booker-Tate management team in the latter years of its contract. This is evidence that the question of privatization of sugar must attract widespread stakeholder consideration and consultation at the appropriate time. Privatization must not be purely an election-mode issue or football. Sugar still employs thousands and has other thousands of dependants. One fifth of Guyana’s population is dependent daily on the sugar industry. FITUG wonders whether candidate Granger’s policy of privatization will take into account the socio-economic dislocation, the profit-oriented, private-sector employers would cause when those owners implement cost-cutting, widespread closure of cultivations, redundancy of workers, etc. Had sugar been privatized during Hoyte’s period, the socio-economic dislocation of large numbers of wage earners would have been disastrous. So would be the consequences today.

FITUG, therefore, vehemently abhors this policy of privatization, which includes Guyoil and the state-media, candidate Granger proposes at this stage of Guyana’s economic and industrial development. Privatization, as an element of economic reform, demands deep thought, management guarantees, political will and national goodwill.

FITUG suggests strongly that the PNCR candidate review his position with respect to sugar at this stage.